As an RCMI component within UTEP, the BBRC has assumed a central role in fostering collaborations and partnerships with many individuals and groups inside and outside the university. Below, evidence of such interactions is furnished first at an intra-institutional level (2.2.1) and then at an inter-institutional level (2.2.2). For the latter, such collaborations involve other institutions within the RCMI Translational Research Network (RTRN). Functional connections among various collaborators are evident in a proposed plan for sharing resources and tools (2.2.3). Collectively, these activities promote and enhance multi-investigator research to address complex issues comprising health disparities.